Colts' DeForest Buckner Delivers Message on Jonathan Taylor Return

2021 All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor may be back on the field for the Indianapolis Colts against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5. That possibility appears to have defensive tackle DeForest Buckner excited.

When asked on Thursday about Taylor's return, Buckner hyped the Colts offense, particularly the backfield.

“I feel like it will open up a lot, especially in the run game," Buckner said about Taylor's return. "We have another great back in Zack Moss, and he’s been doing a really great job the past couple of weeks for us in the run game. Zack’s been running really hard.

"To have him in the stable as well, I feel like the run game can really, obviously explode.”

Running back, particularly the depth in the backfield, was considered a major weakness for the Colts entering the 2023 season. Taylor began the year on the PUP list, and Zack Moss couldn't play in Week 1 either.

But Moss returned the second week of the season and has been a surprising star since then. He already has 280 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in three games.

Most importantly, Moss has played a ton of snaps, masking the team's lack of running back depth. 

In his three games, Moss has lined up for 84% of the Colts' offensive snaps. During Week 2, he set a new career high with 56 offensive snaps in the victory against the Houston Texans. 

Moss then surpassed that mark a week later with 64 snaps in the overtime win versus the Baltimore Ravens.

There's no denying that when healthy, Taylor is still the top back on Indianapolis' roster. But because of Moss' play, the Colts can ease Taylor back into the lineup.

Then once Taylor is ready for his usual number of carries, the Colts will possess perhaps one of the best running back tandems in the league.

As Buckner suggested, that could mean plenty of explosions forthcoming.